Callae Brownstein’s years in the fashion industry with such companies as Ralph Lauren and Roberto Cavalli schooled her in luxury brands, but it was her Colorado upbringing with a stylish mother and grandmother that gave her an appreciation for jewelry and the finer things in life.

About three years ago, Brownstein turned her love of jewelry into a business, CB Luxe in Los Angeles. “I had worked in the retail, wholesale and public relations sides of the fashion world, but the jewelry aspect was more about my love and passion for what I didn’t see when I shopped for jewelry. I felt there was something missing,” she said in a phone interview.

Callae Brownstein worked in the fashion industry for Ralph Lauren and other designers before launching her jewelry collections. (Photo by Ben Horton, provided by CB Luxe)

What was lacking was a modern edge to jewelry, something that made it feel fresh and contemporary rather than old and staid. So she would add a diamond skull to a strand of pearls, have Tahitian pearls dangle off of a pave band, or design a wrap bracelet with scale-like pink gold pieces interspersed with diamonds.

Brownstein will be showing looks from her collection at a show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 10 at Neiman Marcus Denver, 3030 E. First Ave., in the precious jewelry department. (Call 720-941-4508 to RSVP)

Brownstein, 34, is also fond of vintage pieces and beautiful classics, things she picked up from her grandmother, the late Bobbi Tobias; her mother, Sunny Brownstein; and even her dad, Norman Brownstein of the Denver-based national law and lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shreck. Her dad gave her a Chopard “love” ring for her 16th birthday which she continues to treasure.

“My grandmother and mother – both so chic — really made an impact on me,” she said. “They not only know beauty inside and out, they gave me an appreciation for jewelry and the importance of picking a really good piece of jewelry. It stuck with me.”

A white gold pave band with Tahitian pearls. (Provided by CB Luxe)

As for her love of vintage designs, “I am the girl who would have loved to live in the 1920s,” Brownstein noted. “David Webb is a favorite. The epitome of elegance and beauty – such an inspiration because it is feminine, but edgy.”

How women wear jewelry differs by location, according to Brownstein. “New York women are proud to wear it and like wearing their important jewelry whenever they feel like it,” she said. “In LA, they’re more into delicate, every day type of jewelry. In Denver, it’s a little of everything.”

About the time she started the business, Browntein was diagnosed with brain cancer. But she didn’t let it keep her from living her life. “I was not going to feel sorry for myself, ” Brownstein said.

Primary central nervous system lymphoma, she learned, “is very rare, but curable.” With the help of medical experts at Sloan Kettering in New York City and the support of family and friends, she spent the next year and a half aggressively fighting her cancer.

And she channeled additional energy into helping others combat cancer as well. She started the CBeyondcancer organization to partner with and fund groups that help families get beyond the emotional and financial obstacles they face in treating cancer. “With every single sale I donate from 10 to 50 percent (of the profit) to my foundation,” she said, noting that she’s also planning to design a specific jewelry line for the charity.